Kittens left to die in Grand Forks are gaining a new lease on life thanks to dedicated volunteers and a local seniorsB次元官网网址� home.

The four black and white shorthairs were perhaps 10 days old when they were found in a cardboard box under the cityB次元官网网址檚 Darrell Priede Bridge in late September, according to Anne Hawes, now fostering the kittens on behalf of the Boundary Helping Hands Feline Rescue Society (Helping Hands). Little is known about the woman who saved them that day B次元官网网址� only that she rushed the four little souls to the cityB次元官网网址檚 Kettle River Veterinary clinic not two kilometres away.

B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, I never got a chance to meet her,B次元官网网址� Helping Hands President Kimberly Feeny told The Gazette. B次元官网网址淥f course, no one came forward to tell us why they would leave a box full of kittens underneath a bridge.B次元官网网址�

VIDEO:

VIDEO:

Whoever abandoned the little ones could have brought them to Helping HandsB次元官网网址� shelter in nearby Johnson Flats, where Feeny said 18 cats were awaiting forever homes as of Thursday, Oct. 28. Leaving them to waste away, B次元官网网址淭hey effectively signed their death warrants,B次元官网网址� she remarked icily.

Having tended to the discarded brood at the vet clinic, Dr. Weston Gobbett later qualified that, B次元官网网址淜ittens generally have a remarkable B次元官网网址榳ill to liveB次元官网网址� and can recover from quite severe situations.B次元官网网址�

Their situation mustB次元官网网址檝e been quite severe, indeed, with Hawes recalling how they came out of their box hungry, B次元官网网址渟mellyB次元官网网址� and slow to move, their matted fur flecked with tiny white bumps that turned out to be fly eggs. Maggots pulled from the smallest kittenB次元官网网址檚 bleeding ears would show the animals had been left alone long enough for some of the eggs to hatch.

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 realize cats could be so mistreated,B次元官网网址� she said.

Where someone had gone out of their way to make sure theyB次元官网网址檇 be forgotten, the Hawes family took them in and gave them names. Anne even booked time off work so that she and her family could bottle feed their new charges.

B次元官网网址淲e have a routine set up where I feed them in the evening and then again before I go to bed. My son, Jarod, feeds them through the night and my husband feeds them when he gets home from work in the afternoon.B次元官网网址�

It was through Jarod that the kittens B次元官网网址� Cappuccino, Espresso, Java and Mocha B次元官网网址� were introduced to the residents at Phoenix Manor (Phoenix), an independent living centre not far from where the babies were found.

Jarod was 14 when he was diagnosed with high-functioning autism in 2016. His parents soon found that being around cats helped him to cope in social situations, so they adopted two rescues for him.

B次元官网网址淭hey were absolutely wonderful with him and he was wonderful with them,B次元官网网址� Hawes said. When Jarod started sharing his love of cats with seniors, B次元官网网址渋t was the perfect opportunity for him to interact with other people.B次元官网网址�

Jarod, Anne and B次元官网网址渢he coffee kittensB次元官网网址� have been a huge hit with Phoenix residents like Jackie Austinson, who told The Gazette sheB次元官网网址檇 had to give up her own cat when she moved in. Joining her friends Stan Rusch and Jane Bradley in the common room Saturday morning, Austinson cradled little Mocha in her arms.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 always an enjoyable hour when she comes to visit us,B次元官网网址� she chuckled.

Now almost six weeks old, all four kittens are faring well. The Hawes family has decided to adopt Mocha, whose tiny ears seem to be working just fine.

To donate to Helping Hands, or to inquire about adopting a cat, phone Feeny at 250-801-0519. For more information about the shelter, visit their website at .

laurie.tritschler@grandforksgazette.ca
Like us on and follow us on .